WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2020) The US Army said in a statement on Friday that it has started evaluation trials at Fort Bliss in the state of Texas on Israel's Iron Dome close range missile defense interception system on whether to adopt it to fill gaps in missile defense programs, Defense news reported.
Two air defense artillery batteries based at Fort Bliss will assess Iron Dome for integration into the US Army's missile defense architecture, the statement said, the report said.
The Iron Dome batteries will be deployed on the instructions of the US Congress to fill a gap in the US Army's defense systems against cruise missile attacks, the report said, adding that the Army is exploring a comprehensive long term program to eventually meet that need.
Israel sent its first Iron Dome battery to the US Army in October. The next battery is expected to be sent to Fort Bliss to start the evaluation program in December and the second should arrive in January, the report also said.
The testing procedures will be carried out at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the Army's venerable missile and advanced weapons testing center, which is relatively close to Fort Bliss, the report added.
